When firearms instructors in training academies and boot camps train new recruits to use firearnis, five basic fundamentals are taught: (1) proper feet positioning (or stance), (2) proper breathing, (3) grip or (the proper holding of the stock), (4) trigger control, and (5) firearms sight alignment. In many cases, these fundamentals are taught in a classroom setting, where one firearms instructor lectures to thirty or more recruits using textbook diagrams and one real example of the firearm or firearms to be fired.
Generally, stance, proper breathing, grip and trigger control are easily mastered by most recruits using this classroom method. However, firearms sight alignment is not so easily mastered. In many cases, lecturing, diagrams and written descriptions of how properly aligned firearms sights should look to the person aiming the firearm did not prove to be effective or adequate teaching strategies and led to poor shooting performance by many recruits.
Inventors have created several types of devices and systems that aid in the aligning of firearms sights. U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,535 (Williams) discloses a complex firearms sight alignment system which allows for the use of a collimated beam light source attached to a housing which binds the light beam with the direction of the firearm barrel. This light source thus provides a point at which to adjust the sighting apparatus of the firearm while the light source is shining upon an object some distance in front of the firearm barrel. This system is impractical for safe use in a classroom because it must be attached to an aimed firearm in order to perform its function. Also, the entire system will not work unless the laser beam is fully functional. In order for the laser beam to remain fully functional, a fallible rechargeable power source must be used. Also, the user is burdened with the repetitious, costly, time-consuming act of recharging the power source. This system is prohibitively costly to maintain, complicated to use, and expensive to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,519,941 (Yusko), discloses a sight provided for a weapon or other device requiring manual alignment with a target along a viewing line, the weapon having a barrel with front and rear sights. The sights are structured to provide sufficient visual cues to the shooter to enable effective aiming while focusing on the target rather than the sight. This system is also not practical for safe use in a classroom, because it too requires an aimed firearm in order to perform its function. Also this system is, in principle and operation, a contrast to traditional firearms target shooting instruction, where it is taught to concentrate on the front sight, and not the target, while aiming the firearm.
Inventors have created numerous systems and devices that are designed to improve the ability to more accurately align firearm sights, but all of the systems and devices heretofore known suffer from a number of disadvantages:
(a) they are complex in their design; requiring high tech lasers, scopes, costly rechargeable power supplies, and aimed firearms in order to perform their function. PA1 (b) They are not designed to teach a person who has no knowledge of firearm sight alignment how to manually align the sights of a firearm, but are designed to improve upon a person's existing firearm sight alignment knowledge. PA1 (c) They require the user to physically aim a firearm, which may be an intimidating factor to a person who has no experience with and/or knowledge about firearms, and may inhibit the learning person from retaining an important verbal instruction and/or information relating to firearm sight alignment. PA1 (a) This system, with complete and proper use, is effective and will teach a user to understand and manually achieve accurate firearm sight alignment of both peep firearm sights and open firearm sights; PA1 (b) this system does not require the use of a firearm; PA1 (c) is designed for safe, private use at home, in a barracks or squad bay type setting, or in a classroom; PA1 (d) is easy to understand and may be used by all age groups; PA1 (e) is a useful tool in the training of military and law enforcement recruits and personnel in the use of firearms; PA1 (f) is easy to assemble and disassemble; PA1 (g) gives requalifying shooters a useful tool to aid in refamiliarizing themselves with the technique of achieving accurate firearm sight alignment; and PA1 (h) is enjoyable to use.
There are several objects and advantages of the present invention, and they are as follows:
Furthermore, this invention is designed to give new shooters the confidence of truly knowing what it takes to accurately align the sights of a firearm by providing a system that allows a person to safely educate themselves and/or others on the subject of firearm sight alignment, without the actual use of a firearm.